Lead Full Stack Engineer

Manulife; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 113,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Manulife is hiring a senior full-stack software engineer to shape the technical direction for design, development, testing, delivery, and ongoing modernization of enterprise applications. You will own end-to-end architecture across UI, API, and data layers, defining standards for scalable, maintainable solutions.

You will mentor engineers across teams, drive automated testing and CI/CD, and collaborate with governance bodies to guide architectural decisions.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience as a Full Stack Software Engineer leading technical delivery across multiple teams.
• Expertise in Java, TypeScript, JavaScript, Node.js, Python, C#, .NET, and SQL.
• Front-end: React, CSS, Tailwind, SCSS, and modern state management.
• Back-end: Spring Boot, NestJS/Express, REST/OpenAPI, and microservices.
• Cloud & platform: Azure, Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, Helm.
• Build & CI/CD: Maven/Gradle, GitHub, GitHub Actions.
• Testing & quality: JUnit, Jest/Vitest, Playwright/Selenium, SonarQube.
• Security: OAuth/OIDC, JWT, Snyk, threat modelling.
• Observability: New Relic, App Insights, logging & tracing.
• AI-assisted engineering: GitHub Copilot and responsible-use practices.

Responsibilities

• Set the technical direction for full-stack applications across design, development, and deployment.
• Lead end-to-end architecture for UI, APIs, and data layers.
• Define coding standards, automation, and versioning practices.
• Create system design specs guiding multiple workstreams.
• Define automated testing strategies and quality gates.
• Mentor engineers and lead peer reviews.
• Present architectural positions to senior stakeholders.

Skills

Java

TypeScript

JavaScript

Node.js

Python

C#

.NET

SQL

Spring Boot

Spring Security

Spring Data JPA/Hibernate

NestJS/Express.js

React

Tailwind

SCSS

APIs

Azure

Kubernetes/AKS

Docker

Terraform

Helm/Kustomize

Maven/Gradle

GitHub Actions

CI/CD

JUnit

Jest/Vitest

Playwright/Selenium

Snyk

OWASP

CI Testing

DDD/Domain-Driven Design

Event-driven

REST/OpenAPI

Azure Event Hubs/Service Bus

Cosmos DB

MongoDB

Redis

New Relic/App Insights

Distributed systems

Observability

Git/GitHub

Agile/DevOps

Architecture leadership

Tools

Spring Boot

Spring Security

Spring Data JPA/Hibernate

NestJS

Express.js

React

Azure

Kubernetes/AKS

Docker

Terraform

Helm

Kustomize

Maven

Gradle

npm

pnpm

GitHub

GitHub Actions

Jira

Snyk

SonarQube

Job description

Position Responsibilities:

• Set the technical direction for the design, development, testing, delivery, and continuous improvement of full-stack business applications.

• Lead the design of user interfaces, databases, APIs, and server-side logic, ensuring coherent end-to-end architecture.

• Establish disciplined coding practices, design patterns, automation, and semantic versioning standards that enable agility and high-quality delivery at scale.

• Create and review detailed system design specifications that guide development across multiple workstreams and teams.

• Define automated testing strategies and quality gates to ensure solutions meet established standards and user requirements.

• Direct investigative spikes to reduce technical uncertainty and risk, and make the resulting architectural decisions.

• Lead root-cause analysis for complex, cross-system defects and drive systemic improvements in efficiency, reliability, and maintainability.

• Own the technical debt and modernization roadmap for the area and build support for the investment needed to deliver it.

• Facilitate ideation, prototyping, and design sessions, documenting decisions and outcomes.

• Set documentation standards for architecture decision records, runbooks, deployment, maintenance, and support, while ensuring effective knowledge transfer.

• Lead peer-review practices and mentor engineers at different career levels to strengthen technical capability across the organization.

• Represent the team’s technical position in architecture forums and with senior stakeholders and governance bodies.

• Required Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience as a Full Stack Software Engineer, including demonstrated experience leading technical delivery across multiple teams and owning solutions from design through production support.

• Expertise in a significant range of the technologies listed below, with working knowledge across others. Candidates are not expected to have experience with every item; recognized depth in several areas and sound judgement in selecting appropriate technologies are most important.

• Languages and runtimes: Java, TypeScript, JavaScript, Node.js, Python, C#, .NET, and SQL.

• Back-end frameworks: Spring Boot, Spring Security, Spring Data JPA/Hibernate, and NestJS or Express.js.

• Front-end development: React, micro-frontends, enterprise component or design libraries, CSS, Tailwind, SCSS, and React state management and data fetching.

• Architecture and design: Distributed systems, event-driven and asynchronous patterns, domain-driven design, API lifecycle and versioning, and resilience and failure-mode design.

• Integration and APIs: Microservices, REST APIs/OpenAPI, Backend-for-Frontend, Azure API Management, and Azure Event Hubs or Service Bus.

• Data and storage: Microsoft SQL Server, Azure SQL, Azure Cosmos DB or MongoDB, Redis, Flyway or similar database migration tooling, and data modelling at scale.

• Cloud and platform: Microsoft Azure, Kubernetes/AKS, Docker and containers, Terraform, and Helm or Kustomize.

• Build and CI/CD: Maven or Gradle, npm or pnpm, Git/GitHub, GitHub Actions, and release and change management.

• Testing and quality: JUnit, Jest or Vitest, Playwright or Selenium, Bruno or REST Assured, SonarQube, and test strategy definition.

• Security and identity: OAuth 2.0, OIDC, JWT, OWASP secure coding, dependency and CVE management tools such as Snyk, PII and data protection, and threat modelling.

• Observability: New Relic or Application Insights, structured logging and tracing, and SLI/SLO definition.

• AI-assisted engineering: GitHub Copilot or equivalent tools, prompt and context engineering, and responsible-use standards.

• Proven experience defining application and service architecture and influencing architectural decisions beyond your immediate team.

• Demonstrated experience leading complex technical programs across multiple teams with competing priorities and interdependencies.

• A track record of establishing engineering standards or best practices adopted beyond your immediate squad.

• Experience mentoring and supporting the growth of engineers, including senior engineers.

• Deep knowledge of Agile and DevOps principles, with practices that emphasize testing, continuous integration, and rapid, safe releases.

• Expert-level foundation in data structures, algorithms, and object-oriented design.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical vision, options, trade-offs, and outcomes to engineers, senior stakeholders, and non-technical audiences.

• Sound judgement and accountability when making consequential decisions with incomplete information.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Front-end and digital experience: Next.js and Adobe Experience Manager.

• Back-end and eventing: Spring Batch, Spring Cloud/Integration, Azure Functions, and JMS.

• Data and analytics: Databricks/Spark, Azure Data Factory, ETL and data pipelines, Azure Storage, KQL, and Azure Data Explorer.

• Platform and infrastructure as code: Flux/GitOps, Istio service mesh, Azure Key Vault, and Azure networking, DNS, or WAF.

• Legacy integration: z/OS Connect, DB2, batch file/SFTP integration, mainframe-fronting, and strangler patterns.

• Quality and security tooling: Xray test management, performance and load testing, and chaos or resilience testing.

• Advanced AI engineering: Agentic development workflows, LLM application patterns, evaluation, and guardrail design.

• Experience leading a platform migration, decommissioning initiative, or large-scale modernization program.

• Experience evaluating and selecting vendors, platforms, or strategic tools.

• Experience working in a regulated environment, with awareness of audit, control, and compliance obligations.

• Contributions to the broader technical community through internal guilds or chapters, conference presentations, open-source work, or published writing.

• Formal architecture accreditation or equivalent demonstrated capability.

When you join our team:

• We’ll empower you to learn and grow the career you want.

• We’ll recognize and support you in a flexible environment where well-being and inclusion are more than just words.

• As part of our distributed team, we’ll support you in shaping the future you want to see.

The role being advertised is an existing vacancy.

Acerca de Manulife y John Hancock

Manulife Financial Corporation es un importante proveedor internacional de servicios financieros que ayuda a las personas a tomar decisiones de una manera más fácil y a vivir mejor. Para obtener más información acerca de nosotros, visite http://www.manulife.com .

Manulife es un empleador que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades

En Manulife/John Hancock, valoramos nuestra diversidad. Nos esforzamos por atraer, formar y retener una fuerza laboral tan diversa como los clientes a los que prestamos servicios, y para fomentar un entorno laboral inclusivo en el que se aprovechen las fortalezas de las culturas y las personas. Estamos comprometidos con la equidad en las contrataciones, la retención de talento, el ascenso y la remuneración, y administramos todas nuestras prácticas y programas sin discriminación por motivos de raza, ascendencia, lugar de origen, color, origen étnico, ciudadanía, religión o creencias religiosas, credo, sexo (incluyendo el embarazo y las afecciones relacionadas con este), orientación sexual, características genéticas, condición de veterano, identidad de género, expresión de género, edad, estado civil, estatus familiar, discapacidad, o cualquier otro aspecto protegido por la ley vigente.

Nuestra prioridad es eliminar las barreras para garantizar la igualdad de acceso al empleo. Un representante de Recursos Humanos trabajará con los solicitantes que requieran una adaptación razonable durante el proceso de solicitud. Toda la información que se haya compartido durante el proceso de solicitud de adaptación se almacenará y utilizará de manera congruente con las leyes y las políticas de Manulife/John Hancock correspondientes. Para solicitar una adaptación razonable en el proceso de solicitud, envíenos un mensaje a [e-mail] .

Referenced Salary Location

Waterloo, Ontario

Modalidades de Trabajo

Híbrido

Salary range is expected to be between

$113,260.00 CAD - $210,340.00 CAD

Los empleados también tienen la oportunidad de participar en programas de incentivos y recibir una compensación vinculada al rendimiento empresarial e individual. El salario real variará según las condiciones del mercado local, la geografía y factores relacionados con el puesto como conocimientos, habilidades, requerimientos, experiencia y educación/formación. Si solicitas este puesto fuera de tu ubicación principal, por favor escríbenos a [e-mail] para conocer el rango salarial correspondiente a tu ubicación.

Manulife ofrece a los empleados aptos una amplia variedad de beneficios personalizables, entre ellos, beneficios de salud, odontológicos, de salud mental, oftalmológicos, por discapacidad a corto y a largo plazo, cobertura de seguro de vida y por muerte accidental y desmembramiento, adopción/subrogación y bienestar, y planes de asistencia al empleado/familiar. También ofrecemos a los empleados admisibles varios planes de ahorro para la jubilación (incluidos planes de pensiones y un plan mundial de propiedad de acciones con contribuciones equivalentes del empleador) y recursos de asesoramiento y educación financiera. Nuestro generoso programa de tiempo libre remunerado en Canadá incluye feriados, vacaciones, días personales y días por enfermedad, y ofrecemos la gama completa de ausencia laboral reglamentaria.

Si se está postulando para este puesto en los EE. UU., póngase en contacto con [e-mail] para obtener más información sobre las disposiciones relativas al tiempo libre remunerado específicas de EE. UU.

We use data and analytics technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), and automated processing tools, to analyze and process the information you provide to us or third parties in the application process. For more information, please refer to our personal information collection statement (https://careers.manulife.com/global/en/talentacquisitionprivacystatement) .